Redbirds Rap

Colby! DeRo, Glaus, Wainwright

Wow!  Was last night's game great or what?  Our 2nd place 42-38 .525 -1 Redbirds won a 2-1 10 inning decision last night when Colby Rasmus hit a shot to Right-Center that left the park and left the fans roaring, the Cardinals pouring onto the field and me cheering.  This was one heck of a hard fought game. I have to admit I was grumbling when the Redbirds blew the lead in the 8th, but admired Wainwright's pitching through it with only one run being scored.  But, it all worked out okay in the end.

Wainwright had one heck of a night!  Going 9 innings while throwing 122 pitches with one run on 6 hits with 3 walks and 12 Ks was exactly what this team needed.  Rest for the pen, a great outing by the starter, a big walk-off win and even a stolen base by Albert added up to one good win.  The win by the way went to Franklin 2-0 0.97 who threw a excellent 10th inning with a K to hold the Giants scoreless and set up Colby's dramatic's in the 10th. 

The Redbirds hope to split the series with the Giants when they take them on tonight at 7:15 pm ET with the starters being Wellemeyer 6-7 5.68 vs. Zito 4-7 4.55.  Wellemeyer is 2-0 3.00 against the Giants lifetime.

In other news the Cards called up Jarrett Hoffpauir a IF and optioned Mortenson to Memphis.

In Tuesday night's game DeRosa hurt his wrist during a swing and had it x-rayed.  Good news is he has a strained tendon in his right wrist and will miss a few days. The bad news?  Well, he will miss a few days.  Could've been worse but sure don't like to see these things.

Albert has 30 homers before the All-Star break.  He is on track to break 60 if he can keep it up the second half of the season.  Keep yer fingers crossed.

Glaus could be playing in the minors as early as next week.  Reportedly, he is swinging freely and with no pain.  This is great news for if Glaus can come back we have another big bat in the lineup and that can't be anything but a plus for this club.  If all goes well Glaus could be back for the stretch drive as the Cardinals, who are in the thick of the red hot NL Central race, look to take the division title.

Lohse makes a minor league start tonight in his rehab.  A great outing by him could see him back in a Redbirds uni soon.  With Wellemeyer struggling the Cardinals need to get another solid starter on the mound and Lohse may be that guy.  Lets hope for a great start tonight.

Go get 'em Redbirds!!!

San Francisco	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		1	6	3
St. Louis	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		2	8	0

Monday Blues, Big Unit, Lohse,

The 2nd place 41-37 .526 -1 Cardinals took it on the chin last night as Lincecum shut them down and the Giants offense feasted as the Redbirds dropped a 10-0 decision.  This was the second straight loss for the Cardinals and the 6th in their last 10 games as the offense continues to struggle. The Redbirds have thier worst record on Mondays going 2-8 so far this season.  The Monday Blues.  Hopefully DeRo the Hero will come through pretty soon to help Big Albert to get this team rolling again.

Things won't get much easier tonight as the Redbirds take on the Giants at 8:15 pm ET with Carpenter 5-2 1.78 taking on the Big Unit Randy Johnson 7-5 4.68.  Carpenter is 3-0 3.03 lifetime against the Giants.  The Cardinals are 7-5 on Tuesdays so far this season and 1-3 against the Giants so far this season.

In other news Lohse is starting his rehab assignment on Thursday at Springfield AA.  He threw a bullpen session last night with no problems and will be evaluated after the game Thursday night. If all goes well he could be returning soon.

The Cardinals are 12-16 this month.  Lets hope July goes better than June. 

Carpenter's 1.78 ERA is the lowest in the Majors for pitchers 10 or more starts.  Go Carp!  GO CARDINALS!!!

Lincecum, Greene,

Greene is back on the DL with his disorder and suffering from a recent slump.  I feel bad for Greene for he just can't seem to catch a break. I also wonder if this is it for him with the Redbirds.  With the advent of the two young 2b who have filled in for him, the coming of DeRosa I am afraid there may not be room for him on the roster for long.  Keep him in your prayers for with his .200 BA on the season I get a strong felling this may be it.

Clayton Mortensen 7-4 4.24 in 14 starts in Memphis takes his place on the roster.  This will give him some experience and a chance to get started in the majors. As a 13th pitcher the Cardinals will be carrying a big load of pitchers which makes me wonder if there is another trade with pitching involved coming.  Just a hunch and I have nothing to go on.  But, one has to wonder....

The 2nd place 41-36 .532 -.001 Cardinals continued their struggles against LHP yesterday losing 6-2.  DeRosa brought in to help against LHP went 0 for 3 with a K in his first game as a Redbird.  Lets hope DeRo the Hero (love that nickname) can help better in the future.  The Redbirds turned 2 DPs, Ankiel had a SB and that was the highlights.

Tonight the Redbirds take on the Giants at 8:15 pm ET with the starters being Thompson 2-3 4.50 vs. Lincecum 7-2 2.57.  Lincecum is one tought customer so it will be a tough game tonight. He is 3-0 against the Redbirds lifetime.

GO CARDINALS!!!!

Great Move!!! Does this lead to more?

The big Mo made a move that I believe will have a huge impact on the Redbirds for the rest of this season.  In a trade with the Indians the Redbirds picked up Mark DeRosa who can immediately come in and play third, as well as 2b or the OF. He brings with him a very good clutch hitting right handed bat that the Redbirds need badly in the quest to hit LHP this season. His record against LHP in his career is .305/.375/.408 which is not too shabby.

The cost of DeRosa is Perez out of the pen which will not hurt the Redbirds at all since they have enough Righties in relief and a player to be named later.  With the very nice play of Ryan and Tyler Greene at 2nd after K. Greene's disorder this leaves us to the following questions;

What happens to K. Greene?  DeRosa at third and Ryan and T. Greene are doing the job at 2nd.  Trade?  For whom?

If Glaus returns that puts DeRosa in the OF.  The Redbirds are long on OFs.  Trade here also?  Skip?  Luddy?  For whom?    Something has to give in the OF situation.  Perhaps a 2nd baseman and two OFs for a big hitting OF to protect Albert at the plate?  Interesting...... Who has a need for something like this?  Ah... look west.  Perhaps one of the young 2b, a OF or two and/or a prospect for a nice young hard hitting 2b?  Look in the NL Central for that....  Something more seems to be in the works to me... I may be wrong... but this doesn't seem like a end all trade.  We shall see.

This deal makes me wonder if something more is in the works.  I like this trade for I think it helps the Cardinals quite a bit and I do believe it is leading to more down the road which is exactly what this club needs right now.  A big cheer for the big Mo for pulling this one off!

In other news, Albert pounded two dingers yesterday as the second place 41-35 .539 -.002  Cardinals won 5-3 over the Twins.  Albert now leads the NL with 28 Homers.  The Cardinals play the Twins at 2:15 pm ET today with the starters being Pineiro 6-8 3.40 against Liriano 3-8 5.88. 

DeRosa will be in uniform today wearing #7 to play against the Twins. I can't wait!!!

GO CARDINALS!!!!

Pujols, news and more

The Redbirds try to make it 2 out of 3 from the Mets tonight.  Last night they won 3-0 over the Mets to follow up a 6-4 loss.  Thompson 2-2 3.89 is going up against Nieve 2-0 4.29.  Right now as I write this the Mets lead 1-0 in the third. The Redbirds go into tonight's game in first place with a 40-32 .556 +2 record.  GO CARDINALS!

For those interested, the 2009 Cardinals Yearbook is now on sale. Go here to order your copy.

Mather had additional surgery on his wrist today. While the Big Mo wouldn't say, Mather is probably done for the season which is too bad.

Lohse threw 40 pitches in rehab yesterday.  He is next scheduled to throw tomorrow.  

Before I close I wanted to compare Pujols with what most consider to be the greatest hitter of all-time, Babe Ruth, since Albert is closing in on the record for most homers in the first 9 seasons.  The first 8 years can't be done since Ruth was a pitcher for part of his first eight years.  But how about lifetime numbers?

In Batting Average Ruth had .342 with Pujols at .334.  In Slugging Pct. Ruth had .690 with Pujols at .624.  OBP has Ruth at .474 with Pujols at .415.  OPS has Ruth at 1.164 with Pujols at 1.049.  OPS+ has Ruth at 207 with Pujols at 170.  While not quite Ruthian yet (although he is close), Pujols is coming upon his peak years and he could put up numbers big enough to catch or even surpass Ruth.  But, even at that, will his declining years bring him back under Ruth if he does catch him in lifetime stats? Or will injuries hamper his march towards history? Who knows?  All I know is it will be fun to watch! 

While we wait for the Mets

game at 7:10 pm ET tonight lets do some tidbits about the Redbirds. :)

TIDBITS

Wellemeyer goes into tonight 6-6 5.36.  He is 0-1 6.97 vs. the Mets lifetime. 

Pujols yesterday hit 9th career grand slam tieing him with Stan Musial for the all-time lead of the Cardinals organization!  That Grand Slam was his third of the season tieing him for the most slammers in a season by a Cardinal with Jim Bottomley and Keith Hernandez.  Its only June!

The Redbirds have outscored their opponents 326 to 291.  50 of their runs this season have come in the 4th inning. 

The Cardinals are 33-10 when they score first.  If the other team scores first they are 6-21.  So, lets hope the Cardinals score early and often!

GO CARDINALS!!!

Vacation, 1rst place and 2,500

Back from a short vacation trip I am pleased to say our FIRST PLACE Redbirds 39-31 .557 +1.5 swept the cross state rival Royals this weekend.  Greene took up playing third and his bat erupted and then Albert let lose with a barrage also this weekend.  Two Homers, one which was a slammer helped lead the 12 run 13 hit crushing of the Royals today by the score of 12-5.

The Redbirds bombing offense today was led by the following;
Pujols, Schumaker and Ankiel scored 2 runs,
Pujols had 4 hits,
Pujols had 6 RBIs,
Pujols homered 2 times and Greene once.
This offense really came alive this weekend and that is what I've been waiting for.  The moving of Greene to third was a surprise move that seems to have worked out big time!  The Cardinals are in first and with the Tigers defeating the Brewers today the lead is now a game and a half. 

TLR picked up his 2500th win today!  What a great series and a great weekend.  On the field the Redbirds were perfect with no miscues and turned a DP.

On the mound it was another decent day for the pitching.  The Wings let up 5 runs on 9 hits with the starter Wainwright 8-4 3.58 letting up most of the action by the Royals bats with 5 runs, 8 hits, 2 HR, and 8 Ks being his stats for 6 innings of work.  The only other hit was off from McClellan.  McClellan, Motte, Reyes and Hawksworth together did a great job in relief today!  The pitching is coming together right at the proper time for this team to get on a big streak and extend the Redbirds lead in the NL Central!

The first place Redbirds on a 3 game winning streak go into NY to take on the Mets at 7:10 pm ET tomorrow night with the starters being Wellemeyer 6-6 5.36 vs. Redding 0-2 6.27.  GO REDBIRDS!!!
My apologies for being quiet for a few days, but vacation is now over so daily postings will pickup once again! :)

St. Louis	2	1	0	8	1	0	0	0	0		12	13	0
Kansas City	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		5	9	0

Redbird express runs over Cats

"I hear the train a comin, a rollin around the bend, I ain't seen a good time since I don't know when..."  words from Johnny Cash that apply to the Motor City Kitties this morning after the Redbird express thundered through and over them last night led by none other than Albert Pujols who hit a monster shot again last night to raise his Home Run total to a league leading 23. To say they squashed the kitties is a understatement.

The 2nd place 35-30 .538 -1 ran over the kittens 11-2 last night. The birds on the bat pounded out 14 hits, scored 11 runs and still managed to have such heavy base traffic they left 16 on base! The biggest highlight was Pujols hitting a monster shot being followed by Duncan's shot.  I loved that Albert answered the home earlier that inning by the kitties.   The big bat attack was led by;
Duncan who scored 3 runs,
Schumaker and Duncan with 3 hits,
Ryan with 3 RBIs,
Pujols and Duncan with HRs,
ALmost everybody got in on the action last night against the supposedly invincible Verlander.  It was nice to see the bats come to life, something I would love to see more of.

Ankiel was caught stealing and picked off last night with Skippy making a error with the glove.  That and the first inning struggles of Wainwright were the only rough spots in the game for the Redbirds last night.

On the mound the Wing Corp  held the striped kitties to 2 runs on 8 hits with the starter Wainwright 7-4 throwing great ball after the first going 7 innings with 1 run on 6 hits, 2 walks and 5 Ks.  Great job Wainwright!!!  Closing the game was Walters who did a good job going 2 innings holding the kittens to 1 run on 2 hits (1 HR) with a K.  A great job on the mound last night.

The Redbirds take on Detroit at 8:15 pm ET tonight with the starters being Wellemeyer 5-6 5.50 vs. Jackson 6-3 2.24.  GO CARDINALS!!!!

Detroit	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0		2	8	3
St. Louis	4	0	0	1	4	2	0	0	X		11	14	1

Cardinals vs. Kittens & Tidbits

The despicable Detroit team visits the Redbirds tonight and at the time of this writing the Cardinals lead 4-0 after one.  A rough first inning for Wainwright but he got out of it.  Not so for Verlander! :)

So, until we get news to report on we'll do some Tidbits tonight.

TIDBITS

Here is the list of the highest total of Triples hit by a Cardinal during a season.  The top five are listed.... are you surprised by the names listed here?  Are there any you are surprised aren't on this list?

Most Triples Season

1. Perry Werden     29   1893
2. Roger Connor     25   1894
    Tom Long          25   1915
4. Jim Bottomley   20    1928
    Duff Cooley       20    1895
    Rogers Hornsby 20    1920
    Stan Musial       20    1943
    Stan Musial       20    1946

GO CARDINALS!!!

Redbirds smoked and Tidbits

Well, last night Lee of the Tribe took it to the Cardinals.  Of course they didn't help their cause any by swinging at the first pitch endlessly rarely working Lee into a deep count.  Giving up a DeRosa dinger in the first didn't help matters either.  With two hits the Cardinals finished the night with three total and were no-hit until going into the 8th.  Thus our guys lost 2 of 3 to the Tribe. 

Now I happen to be one of those stubborn ppl who believes the Indians are going to make a run at the AL Central.  I also happen to believe the Cardinals will get this thing turned around and get winning again.  But, last night just fed the disappointment I feel with this team this season. Presently, the second place Cardinals are 34-30 .531 -0.5 which while they are just out of first  its a disappointing record considering the talent on this team.  I could go on, but its a day off so lets do some history digging!

TIDBITS

On June 15, 1903 RF Patsy Donovan made a unassisted DP against the Reds when on a hit and run play he caught the ball and raced to first base to get Cy Seymour out before Seymour could return to the bag.  The Redbirds however lost 4-3.

June 15, 1922 the Cardinals are behind 3-0 in the 8th when they scratch out a run to make it 3-1.  Then in the 9th Milt Stock hits a two run shot to tie the game.  Then in the 10th the Cardinals score again to win 4-3 in Brooklyn.

June 15, 1928 The Cardinals and Dodgers battle it out until the 14th inning when with the score tied 2-2 Jim Bottomley hits a 3 run homer to put the Cardinals up 5-2. The Dodgers are held in their half of the inning and the win puts the Cardinals in first place.

June 15, 1932 Rookie Dizzy Dean leaves the club because he wants a raise. He petition the Commish to void his contract claiming he was a minor when he signed it.  Dizzy came back 2 days later when it is proved he was over 21 when he signed the contract.

June 15, 1952 The Cardinals fell behind the Giants allowing 5 runs in the 2nd and 6 in the 3rd.  Down 11-0 the Cardinals rallied for 7 run in the 5th inning.  Then they scored 3 in the 7th, and then put 2 more up in the 8th to win the game in the biggest comeback in NL history at that time.  Oh, there was a second game that day against the Giants which was called because of darkness after 7 innings. The Giants won 2-0... now if they had only had lights!

June 15, 1964 The Cardinals pull off what is called their greatest trade ever.  In a 6 player trade the Cardinals pick up some guy who could run like lightning.  Oh what was his name... oh yeah... Lou Brock! :)

Till tomorrow!  GO REDBIRDS!! Enjoy the day off.

Pujols!!!!

Say one word and it says it all to Redbird fans.  Just say Albert.  Through the years I've seen some great hitters like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Carew and anyone else you can think of since the 1960's.  But, I believe I've never seen a better all-around hitter than Albert Pujols.  He is on track to probably break almost every hitting record there is with the exception of the lifetime BA and perhaps a handful of others.  His numbers are phenomenal and watching him hit is pure delight ...if your a Cardinals fan that is. :)

Last night was no exception as Albert hit two moon shots to put his total at 22 to tie him for the league lead.  His first shot was his 1,600th MLB hit. 

The Birds on the Bat put up 3 runs on 9 hits last night with the leaders being;
Pujols scoring twice,
Pujols with 3 hits,
Pujols 2 RBIs,
Pujols with 2 HRs,
Molina with a SB.

In the field the Redbirds had a error by Ryan with the glove and were able to turn a DP.

On the mound the Wings had a very, very good night allowing just one run on 6 hits  with the starter Thompson 1-2 3.60 going 6 innings with 1 run on 3 hits with 2 walks and 5 Ks.  He was followed by Miller who got his man out and then by Motte for a inning who let up a hit and a walk while getting a K.  Then out to the mound came Reyes who for 0.2 of a inning had a K. Franklin closed getting his 15th save in a inning of work allowing 2 hits with a K.  A excellent night on the mound for the Cardinals!!! This win puts them just a half game out of first.

Today the Redbirds play the Tribe at 8:05 pm ET with the starters being Carpenter 4-0 1.23 vs. Lee 3-6 3.17.  Carp is 2-2 5.95 lifetime against the Tribe.

TIDBITS

Redbirds are 27-10 when scoring first.

They are 6-19 when the other team scores first.

Leading after 7 is important for the Redbirds, they are 28-3 when they do so.

GO CARDINALS!!!!

St. Louis	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0		3	9	1
Cleveland	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		1	6	0

The disappointment continues

tonight as the Redbirds lost their first game of this series to the Indians 7-3.  The Birds on the Bat put up 3 runs on 8 hits with the leaders being;
Ryan, Ankiel and Pujols scoring runs,
Pujols 2 hits,
Pujols 2 RBIs,
Pujols HR,
Pujols and Ludwick SBs.

A very good night for Albert!  On the field the Redbirds looked very good with no errors and turned 2 DPs.

The wings let up 7 runs on 11 hits with the starter Pineiro 5-7 3.99 taking the loss after working 6.1 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits with 3 walks and 7 Ks.  He was followed by Reyes who allowed 1 run on 1 hit and a walk while getting no outs.  The mound was then taken by McClellan who threw 0.2 of a inning letting up 2 runs on 2 hits with a walk.  Hawksworth then closed the game going 0.2 of a inning allowing just a hit and a walk.  Not a very good night for the mound.

The Redbirds hope for revenge tomorrow night at 4:10 pm ET with the starters being Thompson 0-2 4.50 vs. Ohka 0-0 5.40. Lets hope the Redbirds get back into their winning ways.

St. Louis	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0		3	8	0
Cleveland	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	2	X		7	11	0

2 straight

wins by the previously slumping Redbirds has them back in the race in the NL Central.  The 2nd place Cardinals 33-28 .541 -0.5  beat the Marlins 6-5 today.  With 6 runs on 11 hits the Birds on the Bat offense was led by;
Ankiel 3 runs,
Ankiel 3 hits,
Pujols 2 RBIs,
Pujols HR,
So the offense appears to have rebounded and the Redbirds have back-to-back wins.  In the field the Redbirds were perfect with no miscues and they turned 2 DPs.

On the mound the Wings let up 5 runs on 14 hits with the starter Wellemeyer struggling through 6 innings with 5 runs on 11 hits, 1 K and 2 HRs.  He was followed by Miller 1-0 3.06 who threw a perfect inning with a K to get the win.  Then out to the mound Reyes who struck out the one batter he faced. Closing was Franklin who went 1.2 innings allowing 3 hits and 1 K getting his 14th save.

The Redbirds appear to be on the rebound now, lets hope it continues tomorrow when they face the Indians in Inter-League play at 7:05 pm ET with the starters being Pineiro 5-6 3.97 vs. Huff 1-2 8.71.  It should be a interesting series for the Indians are still struggling to reach their potential, which in the opinion of this blogger is quite big and the Redbirds are struggling to get to their potential also.  So, it could be ainteresting series.  GO CARDINALS!!!

St. Louis	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	0		6	11	0
Florida	0	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	0		5	14	1

It looks like

the Cardinals may be on their way to a win tonight as they lead the 6-3 after losing again last night. The seond place tied Cardinals 31-28 .525 -2.5 have lost five straight going into tonight's game.  A win tonight would hopefully be a turning point for this team getting them back into the groove and on their way back to the top of the NL Central. 

Going into today's game the Redbirds are 6-3 on Wednesdays so far this season.  Tomorrow, Thursday the Cardinals are 8-0 on the season!  So, keep yer fingers crossed. 

So far tonight the big blow came from Rasmus in the form of a 3 run homer in the first inning giving the Redbirds a 3-0 lead.  Wainwright has went 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 10 hits with 4 Ks. Pujols and Ryan both have stolen bases and they have turned a DP.

So, things are looking up tonight for the Redbirds.  They could be snapping their 5 game losing streak and hopefully moving forward out of the tie for second place and this makes me very happy, especially if it happens.  I feel this team is so much better than it has been playing lately. How do you feel?

 Go Cardinals!!!

Redbirds swept

by the Rockies in a 5-2 loss today. That makes 4 straight losses and the downward spiral continues.  This team is so much better than they have been playing for the last month.  What a disappointment. 

They play the Marlins tomorrow, lets hope for something to change, especially in the hitting department.

But, lets move on to something a bit more joyful and fun.  Lets look at the best of those pitchers with the most Ks averaged per 9 innings pitched for their career with the Cardinals.

Ks per 9 innings for career
1. Todd Stottlemyre    7.97
2.  Jose DeLeon          7.48
3.  Bob Gibson            7.22
4.  Andy Benes           7.11
5.  Darryl Kile             6.96

Lets hope for a the Cardinals to regroup and rebound tomorrow against the Marlins!  GO CARDINALS!!!

Redbirds rocked

again today by the Rox by the score of 7-2. So the Rockies have taken three straight.   This was a sickening display of baseball by the Redbirds this weekend and hopefully it will soon stop.  The only reason they are still in the race is that the Brewers aren't playing much better and that has kept the Cardinals in the race at 31-26 .544 -2.  But, how much longer before someone gets hot? 

After a 16-7 start in April, the Redbirds went 13-14 in May and now in June they are 2-4.  Things are not looking up and the downward spiral seems to have no one reason for one game it is no hitting, the next no pitching the game after it is no relief.  There is no reason for this team to be playing this badly.  The Cardinals are a lot better than their record right now but you can't tell it by recent events.

Tomorrow is Monday and they are 2-5 so far this year on Mondays.  So, the way the Cardinals are playing and the record on Monday it looks like its a good bet for the Rockies to get the brooms out for tomorrow unless the Redbirds can finally start playing like a baseball team.  But, recent events again lead me to not expect this. 

This team is a very good team and this season holds out a lot of hope.  But, the wheels have fallen off and hopefully TLR will come up with a answer to get them back on.  This is one Redbird fan who can't wait till he does for what I have seen lately is not the Cardinal baseball I have come to love and to expect.

So, get ready for the game tomorrow, hopefully the Cardinals will get their act together and salvage one game out of this series. 

Redbirds stumble

in last night's game and look like they will lose again tonight as the score is 6-1 against the Cardinals.  These losses come at the wrong time for the Cardinals.  Last night's loss dropped the Cardinals out of a first place tie with the Brewers as they won.  With the tight race in the NL Central each loss is having a huge impact upon the Cardinals in the standings. 

They can ill afford to start falling behind in the standings for the Reds, Cubs and surprisingly the Brewers are all having very good seasons.  The pressure is on and the Redbirds need to get it all together and respond to keep themselves from falling out of a exciting and hard fought race. 

So, lets hope for  late rally tonight for the Redbirds so this team can get back on track on winning the division! While the present losses hurt the loss of Lohse  could be a bigger obstacle to overcome as the Redbirds fight for the Division Title.  This is a really good Cardinal team and I have faith they will turn this around. Lets just hope they won't be too far back when they snap this slump.
So, keep yer fingers crossed and hope for a win tomorrow.  GO CARTINALS!!!

Lohse on DL, Tidbits

Lohse was placed on the 15 day disabled list for a injured right forearm he received on a throw to first the other night in the first inning.  Tyler Greene has been called up from AAA to take the open spot on the roster.

The first place Cardinals 31-23 .574 -  take on the Colorado Rockies tonight at 8:15 pm ET.  The starters will be Wainwright 5-3 5.38 vs. De la Rosa 0-6 5.43.  Wainwright is 2-0 0.52 against the Rox lifetime.  It could be a good night for him if he keeps it up against the Rox.

BATTERS PITCHER FACED IN CAREER WITH TEAM

Below are the top 5 pitchers in how many batters they faced in their career with the Redbirds.  What do you think of this list? Anyone on here who surprises you or anyone not on here that surprises you? 

1. Bob Gibson    16, 068
2. Jesse Haines 13,624
3. Bob Forsch     11,088
4. Bill Sherdel     10,473
5. Bill Doak        9,908

Go Cardinals!!!!

Back into first!

The first place Cardinals 30-22 .577 -  won a big game last night defeating the Reds by the score of 5-2 to jump back into a tie with the Brewers for first place!  Pineiro with back spasms couldn't pitch last night so Thompson took his place... boy did he ever!

The Redbirds won 5-2 with Thompson working 5 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits with 1 walk.  A very good outing for him!  He was followed by Miller who walked one, then by Motte 2-1 2.78 who went 1.2 innings allowing just a walk.  Then out to the mound came Reyes, McClellan and Franklin (who got his 13th save) who all were perfect on the mound!  Some great pitching again by the Redbirds last night! YAY!!

In the field the Redbirds turned 2 DPs while Thurston had a error with the glove.

The Birds on the Bat put up 5 runs on 9 hits with the leaders being;
Schumaker with 2 runs,
Schumaker and Thurston with 2 hits,
Pujols and Stavinoha with 2 RBIs,
Ryan with a SB.
What I really liked about the offense tonight is that the effort was spread around and contributions made by a lot of players. A real team effort with the bats tonight!  Way to go Redbirds!!!!

Tonight the Cardinals play the Reds again at 8:15 pm ET with the starters being Lohse 4-3 3.98 vs. Cueto 4-3 2.53.  Lohse is 1-2 5.854 lifetime against the Reds.

This team needs to win tonight and hopefully take full control of first place.  This is a excellent Cardinal team that has struggled recently with the bats and if they turned that corner last night they will hopefully continue to get the very good pitching they have been getting and take this division by the horns and begin to walk away with it. I would love to see it happen starting tonight!  GO CARDINALS!!!!

Cincinnati	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0		2	5	0
St. Louis	1	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	X		5	9	1

2 straight

losses plague the Redbirds after last night's 5-3 loss to the Reds.  The loss drops the second place Cardinals to 29-22 .569 -1 on the season.  With 3 runs on 7 hits the Birds on the Bat were led by;
Rasmus 2 runs,
Rasmus and Thurston with 3 hits,
Rasmus and Pujols with a RBI each,
Rasmus HR.
Colby Rasmus had a big night but no one else seemed to put it together to keep the Redbirds from pouring on the runs.

In the field the Redbirds had a error on a Ankiel throw.

The wings let up 5 runs on 8 hits with the starter Wellemeyer  5-5 5.05 taking the loss after being roughed up for 4 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings.  Miller put up a K, let up a hit in a inning of work.  Then Boyer was roughed up for 1 run on 2 hits and a walk in 0.2 of a inning.  He was followed by Reyes who struck out his only batter.  Then out came Perez who struck out two in a perfect inning. Closing was McClellan who walked two and struck out one in a inning.  Not a bad night for part of the staff, not a good night for the other half of the staff.  Lets hope the starting pitching gets it together tonight when they again play the Reds at 8:15 om ET with the starters being Thompson 0-1 4.30 vs. Arroyo 7-3 5.12.

The Redbirds need to get it together for they are hot and heavy in the NL Central race and cannot afford to keep playing as they have lately if they want to remain in this race.  So, keep your fingers crossed and lets hope the Redbirds win tonight! 

Cincinnati	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	0	0		5	8	1
St. Louis	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0		3	7	1

Pre-game & 1887

Tonight the second place Cardinals 29-12 .580 -1 take on the third place Reds 26-23 .531 -3.5 with the starters being Wellemeyer 5-4 5.02 vs. Volquez 4-2 4.25.  Gametime is 8:15 pm ET.  Wellemeyer 2-3 4.54 lifetime against the Reds. 

While we wait for the game to begin I thought we would go over some history to contemplate today.  In 1887 the Cardinals ran way with the American Association Pennant with a 95-40 .704 +14 record.  Not only did they dominate in the W/L column they dominated in most statistics also. 

Lets start with Batting Average.  The Association was led by the Cardinal's (then known as the Browns) O'Neill with a .435 average.  But, he wasn't the only one banging the ball around for the Cardinals.  Of the top ten on the BA list, 5 of them were Cardinals.  Caruthers hit .3571, Foutz .357, Comiskey .335 and Latham .316. 

Next is Slugging Average. Leading the Association in this stat is once again O'Neill with a .691 SA. 3 of the top ten were Cardinals. In 2nd was Caruthers at .5467 and 7th was Foutz at .508.

OBP is the next stat.  Yes, O'Neill led this stat also with a .490 OBP. 4 of the top ten were Cardinals also. Caruthers was at .463, Robinson .445 and Foutz .393. 

Total Bases was also won by O'Neill with 357.  3 of the top ten were Redbirds in this stat.  Latham had 259 and Comiskey had 224.

In Home Runs O'Neill alsoled the Association in this category with 14. Caruthers also was in the top ten with 8 homers.

RBIs was also dominated by O'Neill and the Cardinals. O'Neill led the AA with 123, Welch and Foutz had 108 and Comiskey had 103.

O'Neill led the AA with 225 hits, Latham had 198, Comiskey 180 and Gleason 172 which were all in the top 10.

O'Neill proved he could also score this year with 167 runs scored just edging out, who else but another Cardinal named Latham who had 163.  Comiskey has 139 and Gleason also finished in the top ten with 135.

Stolen Bases saw three Redbirds in the top ten. O'Neill had 129 but was beaten out by Nicol of Cincinnati who had 138.  Comiskey stole 117 and Welch 89.

So, 1887 was a year the Cardinals dominated the American Association not only in wins, but in all the offensive statistics  also.  O'Neill led the Association and the Cardinals but he had lots of help as many of his teammates also finished in the top ten.  1887 was truly a year of dominance for the Cardinals.  Lets hope we see some of that dominance tonight!  GO CARDINALS!!!!

Redbirds lose 2 of 3

The Redbirds dropped 2 of 3 in their series against the Giants this weekend.  After losing the first game the Cardinals rebounded last night with a 6-2 win that highlighted Carpenter going to 3-0 0.62 while throwing 6 innings and allowing his first runs of the year, 2 to be exact.  Pujols hit 2 homers and the Cardinals looked great in the field.  I was hoping they would go on a winning streak after that win, but then today happened.

The Cardinals in today's game lost 5-3 to drop the Cardinals to second place with a 29-21 .580 -1 record.  With 3 runs on 8 hits the Birds on the Bat leaders were;
Ryan 2 runs,
Pujols and Ryan with 3 hits,
Stavinoha with 2 RBIs.
The Cardinals did okay with the bats today but it wasn't enough as the pitching let up 5 runs on 12 hits.  Even with 3 DPs the Wings couldn't hold the runs down enough to win.  Wainwright 5-3 3.38 took the loss working 7 innings with 4 runs on 10 hits with 2 walks and 3 Ks.  Reyes took over and was thumped with one run and 2 hits without getting anyone out.  He was followed by Perez who threw a perfect inning.  The pitching lacked today and it was too bad as it dropped the Cardinals out of first place. 

Tomorrow the Redbirds play against the Reds at 8:15 pm ET with the starters being Wellemeyer 5-4 5.02 vs. Volquez 4-2 4.25.  Wellemeyer is 2-3 4.54 lifetime against the Reds. 

TIDBITS
The Redbirds are 10-7 in the first game of the series played this season.

The Redbirds are 10-6 in the last game of the series played this season.

Their worst day so far this season is Monday with their record being 2-4.

St. Louis	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0		3	8	0
San Francisco	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	1	X		5	12	0

Redbirds doubled up

by the Giants last night by the score of 4-2.  The loss drops the first place Cardinals 28-20 .583 - into a tie for first place with the Brewers.  The Cards have won 7 of their last 10 games and have a current losing streak of one game.

The Birds on the Bat put up only 2 runs last night on 6 hits with the leaders of the offense being;
Pujols and Ludwick who scored,
Pujols with 2 hits,
Rasmus with a RBI.
The Redbirds left 12 on base last night as the offense stalled and missed numerous opportunities to bring in more runs.

In the field had no miscues and turned one DP.

On the mound the wings let up 4 runs on 10 hits with the starter Pineiro 5-5 3.86 taking the loss while working 4 innings and getting smacked around to the tune of 4 runs on 6 hits with a walk and 3 Ks. Boyer then threw two scoreless innings letting up one hit while getting a K.  Out to the mound then came McClellan who let up 2 hits with a K in a inning of work.  Closing was Perez who let up a hit and a walk and struck out one in a inning of work.  The relief did a good job last night. With just a bit of offense this was a game the Redbirds could have easily won.  But, they will try again today when they meet the Giants again at 9:05 pm ET with the starters being Carpenter 2-0 0.00 vs. Zito 1-5 4.02.  Carpenter is 2-0 3.03 lifetime against the Giants.

TIDBITS

The Cardinals have outscored their opponents this season 217-184 with their biggest innings being the 3rd and 4th innings where they have scored 34 runs in each frame.

When the Cardinals scored first they are 23-6, when the other teams does they are 5-14.

Too bad everyday can't be Thursday.  So far the Redbirds are 7-0 on Thursdays, 3-4 on Saturdays.

GO REDBIRDS!!!

St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0		2	6	0
San Francisco	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	X		4	10	1

Lowest ERA Seasons

Below is a list of the lowest ERA's in a season for Redbird pitchers.  These are the top five seasons.  I was rather surprised at this list.  Where's the Diz?  Anyways, are you surprised by this list?  Anyone here you are surprised seeing here? Anyone not on the list you thought would be?  Hope this is informative and helpful. Tomorrow we cover the upcoming series.

GO CARDINALS!!!!

LOWEST ERA SEASONS

1.  Bob Gibson     1.12     1968
2.  Silver King      1.64     1888
3.  Bill Doak         1.72     1914
4.  Mort Cooper   1.78      1942
5.  Max Lanier     1.90      1943

Moving into first

is the result of the Cardinals taking 2 straight from the Brewers.  Last night's 8-1 pounding of the Brew Crew was hi-lighted by 4 homers with one by Schumaker, Rasmus and Wainwright hitting homers in the 4th and Duncan hitting the final homer in the 6th.  Wainwright moved to 5-2 3.18 on the season.

Today the 3-2 win moved the Cardinals into first place with a 28-19 .596 +1.  They now have a 2 game winning streak and have won 7 of their last ten games.  With 3 runs on 7 hits the offensive leaders were;
Ryan scoring 2 runs,
Thurston with 2 hits,
Stavinoha with 2 RBIs,
Ryan and Pujols with 2 BBs.

In the field the Redbirds had one error by Pujols with the glove.

On the mound the wings had a very good day again giving up 2 runs on 8 hits with the starter Wellemeyer 5-4 5.02 getting the win by working 5.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 1 walk and 5 Ks. Next to the mound came Miller and Perez both going 0.1 perfect innings.  Then the next to pitch was Motte who struck out 2 and let up a hit in a good inning of work.  He was followed by Reyes who struck out one in 0.2 of a inning work.  Franklin closed the game getting his 12th save pitching 1.1 innings walking 1 and letting up 1 hit.

The last two wins are huge for the Redbirds. Not only because it moves them back into first but because they finally are winning against the Brewers.  Last night's blowout was a big win for the Redbirds for it broke their losing streak against the Brewers. Today's hard fought close victory was even bigger for the Cardinals put up back to back wins against a team they have struggled against so far this year.  A great series for the Redbirds that put them back on top of the NL Central and served notice they are in this race to stay this season.  I have a feeling this series could turn out to be a big turning point on the season for the Cardinals.  We shall see.

The Redbirds have tomorrow off and will meet the Giants Friday night.  We will go over the upcoming series on Friday.  Tomorrow will be something from the Redbirds history.  Till then relish the last two win's and the fact that our Redbirds are now in first in front of the Brewers!  GO REDBIRDS!!!!

 

St. Louis	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0		3	7	1
Milwaukee	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0		2	8	0

Redbird Shutouts in a season

While we wait for tonight's game I thought we could cover some stats from the history of the Redbirds.
There have been a good number of excellent pitchers for the Redbirds.  Who do you think will be on the list?  Who is on the list that surprised you and who isn't on the list that you thought you would see?  Keep yer fingers crossed for a big Redbird win tonight!  Go Cardinals!

Most Shutouts by a pitcher in a single season with the Redbirds

1. Bob Gibson      13   1968
2. Dave Foutz      11   1886
3. Mort Cooper    10   1942
    John Tudor      10   1985
5. Harry Brecheen  7   1948
    Mort Cooper      7   1944
    Dizzy Dean        7   1934
    Bill Doak           7   1914

Pitching duel

was the name of the game today in the Cardinals/Brewers game. For 6 innings Carpenter shut them down until Counsell opened the 7th with a single.  No one scored however and the Cardinals and the Brew Crew went into extra innings where in the bottom of the 10th when a error opened the door for the Brewers to finally win 1-0.  A disappointing end to a very entertaining game today. 

Why the Cardinals can't beat the Brewers is a mystery to me and I hope they figure this out soon for this loss drops the Redbirds to 2nd place one game out at 26-19 .578.  It is too bad to lose a game with such a outstanding pitching effort by the staff who let up 1 run on 3 hits and by Carpenter who went 8 innings allowing 0 runs on 2 hits with 10 Ks.  He was followed by McClellan 2-2 1.96 who took the loss working 1.2 innings while giving up 1 run on 1 hit with a walk.

In the field it was a pretty good day except for Barden's error in the 10th. 

The Birds on the Bat did not have a very productive today with only 2 hits, one by Schumaker and the other by Ryan.  Pujols did walk twice but other than that there was nothing happening. 

The Cardinals next play the Brewers at 8:05 pm ET tomorrow night with the starters being Wainwright 4-1 3.41 vs. Suppan 3-3 4.71.  Wainwright is 2-3 2.75 against the Brewewrs lifetime.

TIDBITS

When scoring first the Redbirds are 21-6.

When scoring less than 3 runs they are 3-9.

When the Redbirds outhit their opponnts they are 18-1.

When they are outhit they are  4-17.

Lets hope the Redbirds can break the loosing streak against the Brew Crew tomorrow!  GO REDBIRDS!!!

St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	2	1
Milwaukee	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	3	0

Redbirds on a roll

After sweeping the Scrubs.. (Muwahahahahahahahaha.... sorry couldn't help it!) the Cardinals have taken the first two from their cross state rivals the Royals.  Last night was 5-0 just like tonight which was also a 5-0 win.  Back-to-back shutouts after sweeping the Scrubs and the Cardinals are not only on a 5 game winning streak but they are now tied for first with the BrewCrew at 26-17 .605 +3.  It looks like the Redbird pitching who shutout the Cubs the first game, let up 1 run in the second game, let up 1 run in the finale then threw back-to-back shutouts has finally hit its stride.  This is what we've been waiting for and if they can keep this up its going to be a very long season for the rest of the NL Central. 

Last night the highlights included a great pitching performance by the whole staff and Greene hitting a HR and Motte throwing just 7 pitched to go through a inning!  Tonight Lohse let up 4 hits in 8 innings and the bullpen was again fantastic!!!

Tomorrow the Redbirds gor for the Sweep so get yer brooms out,  The Rebirds tangle with the Royals again tomorrow at 2:15 pm ET with the starters being Pineiro 5-3 3.48 vs. Bannister 3-1 2.75.  It should prove to be exciting and if the Cardinals win again tomorrow it makes back-to-back sweeps so get yer broom out and root those Redbirds onto victory.  GO CARDINALS!!!!

This has been a great season by the Redbirds so far hasn't it?  Battling for first place all the way with some great pitching and the usual great hitting.  But, the thing that has really impressed me so far this season has bee the great fielding.  It seems like each game we are treated to fantastic catches and ever improving fielding that just shuts down the other team in the midst of their rallies.  I had high hopes going into this season and so far I haven't been disappointed.  The only concern has been the bullpen but they seem to be getting stronger as the season progresses and that is to me the key to all of this.  If the bullpen keeps it up it could be a great post-season for the Cardinals. :)

My apologies to you readers for a couple of silent days.  As with all of you I am involved with many non-blog activities.  One of them is my passion for collies.  We recently had a huge litter of puppies and I am spending a lot of time finding them great forever homes. It takes a lot of time to do it right but they are like my children to me. After all, I was there when they were born, took their first steps, opened their eyes for the first time, etc.  I take it seriously where their lives are concerned.  I urge all of you to support the various types of breed rescue sanctuaries that now exist and the animal sanctuaries that are non-kill zones for pets without homes.  What is a couple of dollars or a couple of hours once a year.  These places are not supported by taxpayers and do not kill homeless pets like some of the other places.  It is being proved that these animal non-kill do work and with your small donation you can actually save taxpayer dollars as it reduces the animal loads in the county facilities. 
I don't usually post such things on my blogs, but since this is part of my life I thought I would share for those who might be interested in helping. 

GO CARDINALS and THANK YOU our dear readers for your patience during the silent past day.  Know these will be few and far between. 

MUWAHAHAHAHA

Get the brooms out all you Redbird fans they're goin for the sweep tonight!!!!  A fantastic 2-1 win last night was a great way to beat the Scrubs.  The Redbirds almost made it a shutout until the Scrubbies put a run across in the 9th.  But, it was a great win for the Redbirds who with this win moved into 2nd place with a 23-17 .575 -2 pushing their winning streak to 2 games and the season series against the Nubbies to 5 wins to 3. 

The pitching in the last two games for the Redbirds has been great!!!  Last night the Wings let up 1 run on 6 hits with the starter Carpenter 2-0 0.00 getting the win after working 5 innings with 0 runs on 3 hits  and 2 walks ith 4 Ks.  Carpenter had a great outing which was a big shot in the arm for the Cardinals!  McClellan threw two perfect innings with 2 Ks and Motte who went 0.2 of a inning letting up a hit and getting a K.  He was followed by Reyes who struck out his only batter.  Closing was Franklin who got his 10th save while struggling with 1 run on 2 hits with a BB and a K.  A fantastic display of pitching by the staff today.

In the field the Redbirds had no miscues with a DP.

The big lumber for the Redbirds put together 2 runs on 6 hits with the leaders being;
Pujols and Duncan who scored,
Pujols and Duncan with 2 hits,
Duncan and Greene with RBIs,
Thurston with a SB.

Not a big night for the bats but it was enough to win and that is the goal in MLB. Tonight the Redbirds go for the sweep at 8:05 pm ET with the starters being Wainwright 3-2 3.83 vs. Marshall 2-2 4.02.  Wainwright is 2-3 5.47 against the Cubs lifetime. 

Chi Cubs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	6	1
St. Louis	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	X		2	6	0

Cards blank Cubs

3-0 last night as the Redbirds led by Pineiro took the season series lead with 4 wins to the Cubs 3.  Pineiro 5-3 3.48 threw a 9 inning complete game last night letting up just three hits with 5 Ks.  This was a great outing by Pineiro who threw only 92 pitches while retiring the last 13 batters in a row.  This was a mjor shot in the arm for the Cardinals helping them to put the brakes on a recent losing skid during the weekend.  The bullpen received some much needed rest and the Cardinals moved into a second place tie with the baby bears.

The Two Birds on the Bat offense was spotty last night with 3 runs on just 5 hits. The leaders were;
Ryan 2 runs,
5 different Redbirds with hits,
Rasmus with 2 RBIs,
Rasmus with a 417 foot Homer,
Ryan with a SB.

In the field the Redbirds were flawless with no errors, a DP and a pickoff.

Last night was a great game last night and it served notice to the Scrubs and to the other NL Central teams that this team is not done, not down and out and is not done fighting to get back into first. It was a impressive win over its archrival and it could prove to be the game that starts the turnaround for the Cardinals. 

Tonight the Redbirds take on the Scrubs again at 8:15 pm ET with Carpenter 1-0 0.00 vs. Dempster 3-2 4.65.  Carpenter is 7-3 3.08 lifetime against the Cubs.

TIDBITS

Last night's shutout was the 164th time the Cardinals have shutout the Scrubs in their history.
The Scrubs have shutout the Redbirds 153 times.

The Cardinals have won 3 of the last 4 games with the Cubs.

The Cardinals are 4-2 on Wednesdays so far this season.

Bear hunting time!!!!

Forget about last night's 8-4 loss to the Brewers.  Its history and now that that disappointing series is over our attention turns to our biggest rivals the Chicago Scrubs.  Its bear hunting season and time for the Birds of Prey to go hunting. 

At 8:05 pm ET the 3rd place Redbirds 21-17 .553 -3 will take on the 2nd place baby bears from Chi-town 21-15 .583 -2 with the starters being Pineiro 4-3 4.17 vs. Lilly 5-2 3.27.  Pineiro is 2-3 5.28 lifetime against the Scrubs.

The season series is tied at 3-3 going into tonight's game.  Go Cardinals!!!!

TIDBITS

When the Cardinals last won the World Series a Republican was President, his name was George W. Bush.

When the Cubs last won the World Series a Republican was President, his name was Theodore Roosevelt!!!

The picture below pretty much tells us about the Scrubs....

TOTAL BASES RECORD

Through the Years the Cardinals have had some great hitters.  So, tonight we will explore the top 5 Total Base records in a season.  As you read the list are you surprised by anyone on the list?  Anyone who isn't there you thought would be?  Hope this is interesting and helpful.  Tonight at 8:05 pm ET the Redbirds take on the Brewers hoping to salvage a game from this series.  GO CARDINALS!!!!

TOP 5 TOTAL BASES RECORD IN A SEASON

1. Rogers Hornsby     450    1922
2. Stan Musial           429    1948
3. Joe Medwick         406    1937
4. Albert Pujols         394    2003
5. Albert Pujols         389    2004

Redbirds bashed

by the Brewers 8-2 today to extend their losing streak to 2 games.  The loss drops the 3rd place Cardinals to 21-16 .568 -2.  The Birds on the Bat put up only 2 runs on 6 hits today with the leaders being;
Pujols and Molina who scored,
Pujols with 2 hits,
Stavinoha and Rasmus with RBIs.

In the field the Redbirds had one error by Barden with the glove. The Redbirds did turn 3 DPs today! 

On the mound the Redbirds were battered today giving up 8 runs on 7 hits with the starter Wellemeyer 3-4 5.87 taking the loss after working 5.2 innings while getting smacked around for 4 runs on 3 hits with 7 walks and 3 ks.  Not a very good outing for Wellemeyer.  Next was Motte who got his only batter out. Then to the mound came Boyer who got no one out while getting smoked for 3 runs on 2 hits (1 HR) with a walk. Closing was Thompson who worked 3 innings giving up a run on 2 hits with 2 Ks. Not a good day at all for the pitchers.

The Redbirds hope to salvage a game from this wreck of a series tomorrow night at 8:15 pm ET with the starters being Pineiro 4-3 4.17 vs. Looper 4-3 4.70. 

Milwaukee	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0		8	7	0
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0		2	6	1

Redbirds shut out of first

as they lost to the Brewers today 1-0 after last night's washout.  With 0 runs on 6 hits the hi-lites are few and far between with the leaders being:
Robinson with 2 hits,
Robinson with a SB.

In the field the Cardinals had a error by Thurston but they also turned a DP.

On the mound the Wings had a very good game holding the Brew Crew to 1 run on 2 hits and with any kind of offense would've won today. The starter Wainwright 3-2 3.83 worked 8 great innings giving up just 1 run on 2 hits with 2 walks and 7 Ks.  A excellent outing that went to waste.  He was followed by McClellan who got a out and walked one, Reyes who got one out and Perez who got one out while walking one.  Great job today by the staff!

The loss drops the Cardinals to 3rd place with a 21-15 .583 -1 record.  Tomorrow they again take on the Brewers at 2:15 pm ET with the starters being Wellemeyer 3-3 5.80 vs. Parra 2-4 4.82.  Wellemeyer is 0-2 5.88 lifetime against Milwaukee.

TIDBITS
Last night's rainout will be made up at 7:15 pm ET this coming Monday night.

When the Cardinals score less than 3 runs a game they are 2-6.

Cardinals are 5-8 in May.

Milwaukee	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	2	0
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	6	1

Colby hits a homer

into the Allegheny river as the Redbirds beat up the Pirates 5-1 last night.  The win keeps the Cardinals in 1rst place tied with the Brewers with a record of 21-14 .600 T .  With this win they avoid a sweep at the hands of the rebounding Pirates and tonight at 8:15 pm ET the Cardinals take on the Brewers whom they are tied in first place with.  The battle for first place begins.  This series with the Brewers is very important since not only are these two teams tied for first, but the Cubs and Reds are only a half game back. 

With 5 runs on 10 hits the Big Bird Offense was led by;
Schumaker with 3 hits,
Pujols and Rasmus with 2 RBIs,
5 different Redbirds who scored,
Rasmus with a HR,
Pujols and T. Greene with a SB.

In the field the Redbirds turned 3 DPs to stifle the Pirates scoring chances.  A nice night for this win was needed badly after losing the first 2 of 3.

On the mound the wings let up just 1 run on 12 hits with the starter Boggs working 4.1 innings allowing just 1 run on 9 hits with 2 walks and a K.  He was followed by Miller 1-0 3.38 who got the win going an inning with one hit and a K.  Next was McClellan who went 1.1 innings with just a walk and a K.  Coming to the mound then was Reyes who for a inning of work gave up 2 hits and recorded 2 Ks.  He was followed by Perez who got one batter out and then the game was closed by Franklin who threw a perfect inning.  A great night for the staff in keeping runs off the board.  Although the Pirate bats were connecting great clutch pitching, fielding and 3 DPs stopped the Pirates from putting more runs on the board.

Tonight the battle for first place happens with the Cardinals and Brewers fighting it out at Busch Stadium with the starters being Lohse 3-2 4.25 taking on Gallardo 4-1 3.09.  Lohse is 3-3 5.22 lifetime against the Brewers. GO CARDINALS!!!!!

TIDBITS
The Redbirds have hit a homer in 9 straight games going into tonight.

St. Louis	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	0		5	10	0
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		1	12	1